A former Debenhams shop steward has renewed her calls for changes to be made in the law to better protect employees’ interests in liquidations
Valerie Conlon was one of 300 staff in Cork impacted by Debenhams' refusal to honour an agreed redundancy payment after their sudden decision to close their Irish outlets in 2020
Staff took to picket lines outside Debenhams outlets in Cork, Limerick and Dublin which they manned for 406 days
Workers initially sought 16 weeks pay but have now been awarded four weeks by the Labour Court four years after Debenhams withdrawal from Ireland
Speaking to RedFM News Valerie Conlon says workers need to be better protected
"There's no improvement for employees yet in Ireland. It just goes to show with the recent closure of Body Shop and the way they were treated. So nothing has changed so far our 406 days of fighting, the government's telling us that they were listening to us and the the government saying that they wanted to make changes, and they've done absolutely nothing at all. Again"
